Wrist Severance

The moment the Soul Bone Core was stirred, Jingtian knew he had made a mistake.

A terrible mistake!

That was not a gentle legacy. It was the source of poison power that had been sealed away for countless ages yet remained savage and untamed, mixed with a trace of the original owner's unwillingness at death, resentment, and boundless poisonous intent! Like ferocious beasts imprisoned since ancient times, the moment they encountered an outsider's "provocation," they retaliated madly!

Boom—!

It was not a sound, but an impact that exploded directly within the depths of his soul!

The violet-black torrent of poison power was no longer a thin trickle. It transformed into a raging Angry Sea, instantly crushing the "probe" Jingtian had formed from Soul Power and violently pouring back into his body through the connection!

This poison power was vastly different from the superficial legacy he had absorbed before. It was no longer merely pure energy; it carried a terrifying lawful will capable of corroding everything and decaying all things. Wherever it passed, Jingtian's own Soul Power melted away like ice and snow. His meridians felt as if they were being torn apart, and even his Poison Source, which had just completed its transformation and become several times stronger, trembled violently the instant it came into contact with it. It let out a distressed cry, as though it were about to be assimilated and devoured by this older, more tyrannical poison!

"Urgh—!" Jingtian groaned. The dark-blue rings across his body were instantly stained an ominous deep purple, and the color continued spreading and deepening at an alarming speed! His consciousness began to blur as countless fragmented images filled with resentment, madness, and destruction battered his mind—those were the broken memories and will left behind by the Soul Bone's former owner!

Even more terrifying, this core poison power seemed to contain some sort of tracking or locking property. Once it contaminated someone, it clung like gangrene to the bone, impossible to shake off, as though it intended to mark the intruder completely and corrode him to nothing!

He could not continue! He had to sever the connection immediately! Otherwise, within ten breaths, his Poison Source would be completely contaminated and collapse. Both his body and soul would be utterly corroded by this ancient poison, reduced to pus, perhaps even becoming nourishment for this Soul Bone to revive or find a new host!

Yet the backflowing poison power was far too ferocious. Once the connection had been established, it was like being tightly bound by the toughest poisonous vines, which crazily corroded and poured inward. How could he possibly sever it by force?

A flash of ruthlessness passed through Jingtian's eyes—the core of his consciousness. At the brink of life and death, there was no room for even a moment's hesitation!

Rip—!

A teeth-grating sound, like flesh being forcibly torn apart, rang out with startling clarity in the silent stone cavern!

Jingtian's primary arm, the first one he had extended and the one that had established the deepest connection between his Soul Power "probe" and the Soul Bone, was forcibly shattered at its base by sheer force of will! No blood flowed from the break—an octopus's blood was blue. Instead, viscous fluid mixed with dark blue and deep purple, already being rapidly corroded, sprayed out!

He had severed one of his own arms!

Immense agony swept through his entire body like a tsunami. His Soul Power instantly fell into disarray, and his consciousness wavered for a moment. But the effect was immediate—the most direct and deepest connection with the Soul Bone Core was forcibly cut off along with that arm!

The torrent of backflowing poison power lost its largest channel. Though a small amount still seeped in through his other energy connections, its intensity dropped sharply.

Seizing the opportunity, Jingtian erupted with the full power of his Soul Power and Poison Source. As though scraping poison from bone, he desperately forced the deep-purple core poison power that had invaded his body and was raging wildly within him toward the wound where his arm had been severed!

Pfft—!

From the severed-arm wound, thick poison blood, nearly black in color and mixed with the foreign poison power forced out of his body, shot forth like an arrow. It struck the distant rock wall with a terrifying sizzle of corrosion. The hard stone was instantly eaten into deep pits, and violet-black poisonous smoke rose from them.

Jingtian's entire body convulsed violently from the agony and energy backlash. Dark blue and deep purple intertwined chaotically across his body, while his aura sank to its lowest point. His Soul Power fluctuations plummeted, and the Poison Source that had just completed its transformation had become dim and lackluster, clearly badly damaged.

He staggered backward, away from the Scorpion Tail Soul Bone that still emitted unstable dark light, as though mockingly him. Only after his back pressed against the cold rock wall did he barely manage to steady himself. He gasped heavily, drawing in and expelling seawater, his heart still trembling with fear.

That had been far too close!

Just a little more, and he would have been completely devoured by the poison power of the Soul Bone Core, doomed beyond redemption!

Now it seemed that the gentle outer layer of this Soul Bone legacy could be absorbed to nourish and elevate the essence of his Poison Source. But its core was likely far beyond what he could touch at his current level. It was not merely energy—it also contained the original owner's powerful imprint of will and some vicious restriction. Touching it rashly was no different from suicide.

Perhaps only after his cultivation was higher, his Poison Source stronger and more stable, and his understanding of the Law of Poison deeper would he be qualified to attempt refining its core.

For now, being able to absorb the superficial legacy and complete the transformation of his Poison Source was already a stroke of tremendous fortune. His greed had nearly gotten him killed.

Jingtian looked at the severed arm not far away, which had completely turned violet-black and was beginning to melt like a wax figure. Fear lingered in his heart, but so did a surge of determination. It was only one arm. For an octopus-type soul beast, while important, it was not something that could not regenerate. Paying such a price in exchange for a qualitative transformation of his Poison Source and his life was worth it!

He swiftly mobilized his remaining Soul Power to seal the wound, stopping the loss of "blood" and poison power. At the same time, he actively drew upon the power of the Water-Condensing Pearl. Its warm, gentle energy flowed through his body, helping him stabilize his chaotic Soul Power and soothe his damaged Poison Source and soul.

Only after a long while did Jingtian's condition stabilize somewhat. Though he remained weak, he was at least no longer in danger of immediate collapse. An itchy, numb sensation came from the severed-arm wound, a sign that his regenerative ability had begun to activate. However, it would take considerable time and energy to fully grow a new arm.

He cast one final deep glance at the Scorpion Tail Soul Bone, whose glow had stabilized again but which had become incomparably dangerous in his perception. Then he turned without hesitation and swam toward the passage through which he had come.

This place was not safe to remain in for long. Although the crisis posed by the Soul Bone Core had temporarily passed, the commotion just now had not been small. There was no guarantee it would not attract something's attention. Moreover, he was in terrible condition and needed to return to the relatively safe upper level of his nest as soon as possible to recuperate.

As for this Soul Bone... it would not be too late to claim it once he was strong enough. It was here. It could not run away.

Dragging his exhausted and heavily injured body, Jingtian struggled upward through the narrow passage. Every time he swam a short distance, he had to stop and rest for a while. The pain of losing his arm and the injuries from the poison-power backlash were far more severe than they appeared.

At last, he passed through the poison membrane he had arranged and returned to the relatively familiar upper level of the stone cavern. The Water-Condensing Pearl's gentle glow allowed his taut nerves to relax slightly.

He immediately settled beside the pearl and began healing with all his strength. His Soul Power circulated slowly, nourishing his damaged meridians and Poison Source; the numb itching at the severed-arm wound grew stronger as the bud of a new arm began to form; meanwhile, the Water-Condensing Pearl's energy continuously repaired his battered soul and stabilized his chaotic poison power.

This trip into the rift had brought enormous gains, but the price had been just as heavy.

The transformation of his Poison Source gave him the foundation to rise to a higher level.

But the lesson of rashly touching the Soul Bone Core also made him deeply realize that the path to power was fraught with danger at every step. Greed and recklessness could bring destruction at any time.

He needed time to digest his gains, heal his wounds, and consolidate his cultivation.

The Deep Sea remained dark and secluded, but Jingtian knew that when he emerged from here again in perfect condition, his poison would truly become the source of nightmares that would make this sea region—and even the wider world—tremble...